Cookies on the NHS website
We've put some small files called cookies on your device to make our site work.
We'd also like to use analytics cookies. These send information about how our site is used to services called Adobe Analytics, Hotjar and Google Analytics. We use this information to improve our site.
Let us know if this is OK. We'll use a cookie to save your choice. You can read more about our cookies before you choose.
I'm OK with analytics cookies Do not use analytics cookies
Search the NHS website
Search
Health A-Z
Live Well
Mental health
Care and support
Pregnancy
Browse
More
Home Health A to Z
Overview
-
Hepatitis B
Contents
Overview
Symptoms
Causes
Treatment
Complications
Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver caused by a virus that's spread through blood and body fluids.
It often does not cause any obvious symptoms in adults, and typically passes in a few months without treatment.
But in children, it often persists for years and may eventually cause serious liver damage.
Hepatitis B is less common in the UK than other parts of the world, but certain groups are at an increased risk.
This includes people originally from high-risk countries, people who inject drugs, and people who have unprotected sex with multiple sexual partners.
A hepatitis B vaccine is available for people at high risk of the condition.
Information:
Coronavirus advice
Get advice about coronavirus and liver disease from the British Liver Trust
Symptoms of hepatitis B
Many people with hepatitis B will not experience any symptoms and may fight off the virus without realising they had it.
If symptoms do develop, they tend to happen 2 or 3 months after exposure to the hepatitis B virus.
Symptoms of hepatitis B include:
flu-like symptoms, including tiredness, a fever, and general aches and pains
loss of appetite
feeling and being sick
diarrhoea
tummy pain
yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
These symptoms will usually pass within 1 to 3 months (acute hepatitis B), although occasionally the infection can last for 6 months or more (chronic hepatitis B).
When to get medical advice
Hepatitis B can be serious, so you should get medical advice if:
you think you may have been exposed to the hepatitis B virus – emergency treatment can help prevent infection if given within a few days of exposure
you have symptoms associated with hepatitis B
you're at a high risk of hepatitis B – high-risk groups include people born in a country where the infection is common, babies born to mothers infected with hepatitis B, and people who have ever injected drugs
You can go to your local GP surgery, drug service, genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic or sexual health clinic for help and advice.
A blood test can be carried out to check if you have hepatitis B or have had it in the past. 
The hepatitis B vaccine may also be recommended to reduce your risk of infection.
Treatments for hepatitis B
Treatment for hepatitis B depends on how long you have been infected for.
If you have been exposed to the virus in the past few days, emergency treatment can help stop you becoming infected.
If you have only had the infection for a few weeks or months (acute hepatitis B), you may only need treatment to relieve your symptoms while your body fights off the infection.
If you have had the infection for more than 6 months (chronic hepatitis B), you may be offered treatment with medicines that can keep the virus under control and reduce the risk of liver damage.
Chronic hepatitis B often requires long-term or lifelong treatment and regular monitoring to check for any further liver problems.
How hepatitis B is spread
The hepatitis B virus is found in the blood and bodily fluids, such as semen and vaginal fluids, of an infected person.
It can be spread:
from a mother to her newborn baby, particularly in countries where the infection is common (read more about hepatitis B in pregnancy)
within families (child to child) in countries where the infection is common
by injecting drugs and sharing needles and other drug equipment, such as spoons and filters
by having sex with an infected person without using a condom
by having a tattoo, body piercing, or medical or dental treatment in an unhygienic environment with unsterilised equipment
by sharing toothbrushes or razors contaminated with infected blood
Hepatitis B is not spread by kissing, holding hands, hugging, coughing, sneezing or sharing crockery and utensils.
Preventing hepatitis B
A vaccine that offers protection against hepatitis B is routinely available for all babies born in the UK.
It's also available for people at high risk of the infection or complications from it.
This includes:
babies born to hepatitis B-infected mothers
close family and sexual partners of someone with hepatitis B
people travelling to a part of the world where hepatitis B is widespread, such as sub-Saharan Africa, east and southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands
families adopting or fostering children from high-risk countries
people who inject drugs or have a sexual partner who injects drugs
people who change their sexual partner frequently
men who have sex with men
male and female sex workers
people who work somewhere that places them at risk of contact with blood or body fluids, such as nurses, prison staff, doctors, dentists and laboratory staff
people with chronic liver disease
people with chronic kidney disease
prisoners
people who receive regular blood or blood products, and their carers
The hepatitis B vaccine is given to infants as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule and those at high risk of developing the infection.
You do not need to pay for the vaccine if your child is eligible to receive it as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule, or they're born to a mother with hepatitis B.
Others may have to pay for it.
Outlook for hepatitis B
The vast majority of people infected with hepatitis B in adulthood are able to fight off the virus and fully recover within 1 to 3 months.
Most will then be immune to the infection for life.
Babies and children with hepatitis B are more likely to develop a chronic infection.
Chronic hepatitis B affects around:
90% of babies with hepatitis B
20% of older children with hepatitis B
5% of adults with hepatitis B
Although treatment can help, there's a risk that people with chronic hepatitis B could eventually develop life-threatening problems, such as scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) or liver cancer.
Page last reviewed: 30 January 2019
Next review due: 30 January 2022
Next
:
Symptoms
Support links
Home
Health A to Z
Live Well
Mental health
Care and support
Pregnancy
NHS services
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
NHS App
Find my NHS number
Your health records
About the NHS
Healthcare abroad
Contact us
Other NHS websites
Profile editor login
About us
Accessibility statement
Our policies
Cookies
© Crown copyright